


Five Times People Thought They Were A Couple, And Once Someone Didn't

by lauraxtennant



Series: Ten/Rose Collection 2013 [10]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-02
Updated: 2013-08-30
Packaged: 2017-12-22 03:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/908367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lauraxtennant/pseuds/lauraxtennant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when everyone assumes they're together? Well, nothing, but they rather like it all the same. What happens when someone doesn't assume they're together? Well, that's a different matter entirely.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Little Girl in the Park

They were just taking a stroll through the park near Jackie's flat when it happened. And honestly, this particular thing happened quite a lot, so neither of them should be surprised by it. But maybe it was the innocence of the remark, said by a child this time, which made him stop and think for a second.

::

"I don't care what you say." Rose grinned at the Doctor. "There was absolutely no way you actually knew what he was planning. It was all just luck!"

"No such thing as luck. Not in _that_ situation," he retorted, swinging their joined hands between them. "I'm just very good at deducting. I notice everything. And that man made one single, solitary mistake that I picked up on."

"Ooh, get you, Poirot!" She laughed.

"I like to think of myself more like Sherlock Holmes."

"Do you play the violin?"

"Well...no."

"Do you have a drug addiction?"

"Nope..."

"Do you have a best friend called Doctor John Watson?"

He huffed. "Noooo."

"Then you don't sound like Sherlock Holmes to me." 

"I'm also not Belgian and I don't have a moustache, so I'm not exactly Poirot, either, am I?"

"Touché," she conceded, smiling up at him. She glanced across the park, over to where the playground area was full of children, and she sighed. "It's so annoying."

"What's so annoying?"

"I really want to go on that swing, but people would look at us funny if we went in there, what with all the kids."

He followed her line of sight and nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Maybe we should come back on a less sunny day, so that we get full use of the playground with no one else around."

"They've done it all up since I used to come here as a kid. Never used to have that big tyre thing. That's a new slide, too. We definitely have to try that out a some point, look how high it is!"

The Doctor squeezed her hand, chuckling. "You do realise that I could take you to parks across the universe that have far better slides than that, right?"

"Yeah, but this place is special, 'cos it's full of memories of my childhood."

"Is it really the same park, though, if it's all changed?"

"That tree hasn't changed," she pointed out. "That tree's always been there. Used to climb up it like every day until I realised that I was fourteen and probably shouldn't do that anymore...not in denim miniskirts, anyway."

He laughed and bumped his shoulder against hers. "Fancy an ice cream?" he asked her, nodding towards the ice cream van.

"Yeah, all right," she agreed, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a fiver and gave it to him. "You get them?"

"Sure," he answered, letting go of her hand. "Meet me by that tree of yours."

She smiled widely. "Okay."

He glanced down at her denim skirt. "Best not climb up it, though. You might give those teenage boys over there a free show."

Rose whacked his arm playfully and told him to shove off and bring her back a nice ice cream.

Once she reached the old tree, she remained standing, leaning back against the trunk, watching the kids in the playground laughing and having fun. She smiled to herself. None of them realised how much their lives could change in an instant. She used to look like that, carefree and unaware of anything that didn't factor into her little bubble of existence. Her friends, her mum, going to school, bunking off school in the park...trying a cigarette on that bench over there, decidedly hating it and stamping it into the grass.

It all seemed so innocent, even that last thing, yet so, so exciting back then. Even those teenage boys over there with a few cans of beer who the Doctor had pointed out, they had no idea. No idea of what was really amazing in this universe. No idea that luck could lead you to be in the right place, right time, and meet a man who would change your life in unimaginable ways.

She remembered being at the top of the previous slide that had been in that park, scared to go down it. It was less tall than the new one, but at six, it had seemed like the tallest thing ever. Her mum stood at the bottom and told her not to worry, that she'd love it. And that wasn't the problem — she knew, even at six, that she'd love it, love the feeling of sliding down that surface so very quickly, feeling the wind rush past her ears.

She was just scared that no one would catch her if the thing she loved went wrong. Her mum was there, of course she was. But she wasn't an expert catcher, nor did she have the greatest reaction time, so what if she couldn't save her?

Rose frowned. What if she couldn't save her if this all went wrong? She glanced over at the Doctor, who was waiting in the queue for the ice cream van over the other side of the park. She had good eyesight, and could see even from here that he was rocking back on his heels impatiently, his hands shoved in his pockets. What if he got bored? What if he got bored of her and her stories about her childhood, and got bored of visiting Jackie and doing silly things like taking her to parks? What if she'd fallen so quickly into this life, this way of living, the adventure and the fun and the wonder, everything that she loved so much, that even her mum wouldn't be enough for her once she inevitably fell out of it?

"Do you have children?" a little girl asked Rose suddenly.

Rose jumped in surprise, jolting out of her thoughts. She looked down, seeing a little girl staring up at her with wide, green eyes, and shook her head. "Nope," she answered. "I don't have children, no."

"But you're married," she stated.

"Pardon?"

"To that man over there," she continued, pointing towards the ice cream van.

Rose laughed. "No...what makes you think that?"

"Isn't that what people do when they love each other?"

She swallowed hard. "What makes you think we love each other?"

"I was at the top of the slide, waiting for my turn, and I was watching you walking along the path together," the little girl informed her. "Also, I hold hands with Bobby at school because I love him. I don't hold hands with any of the other boys, because they're mean."

Rose stared at her. "Right."

"So are you going to get married?" the girl persisted.

"What's your name?" asked Rose.

"Abby."

"Well, the thing is, Abby," Rose began, and then stopped talking abruptly because she suddenly realised the Doctor was coming back with their ice creams, and he was within earshot. "Never mind," she muttered.

"Here you are." He grinned as he stepped up to her, handing her the ice cream with one scoop.

"Oi, hold on — how comes you get the biggest one?" she frowned.

"Because I went and got them," he answered, in a tone of voice that said that should have been obvious. He licked his double scoop — one chocolate, one strawberry — lavishly.

"Yeah, using my money!"

He shrugged, a cheeky twinkle in his eye. "You can share mine too, if you want."

Rose screwed her face up. "But you've licked it now!"

"So?" the Doctor asked, just as Abby said, "But it's just like kissing."

The Time Lord looked down in alarm. "Oh. Hello! Who're you? And aren't you a little young to know what kissing's like?"

"I'm Abby," Abby answered, at the same time as Rose muttered, "She's Abby."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows and looked back at Rose. "Making friends again?"

"She just came up to me and started chatting away," she murmured, her lips twitching.

"You have that look about you," the Doctor nodded.

"What look about me?" Rose retorted.

"People look at you and think, 'Oooh, bet she'd be nice to talk to!' So they do," he informed her.

"You're weird," Abby piped up.

He briefly looked down at her again. "Thank you," he replied. He held his ice cream out to Rose. "Go on, Rose. Take a lick. It's just like kissing, apparently," he said, waggling his eyebrows.

"No ta, don't want to catch any Time Lord germs," she muttered, contenting herself with her own ice cream.

"I find that highly offensive," he remarked, then confided to Abby, "She's too cheeky, this one. You see, this is why I don't kiss her."

"You don't?" asked Abby, her eyes widening.

Rose arched an eyebrow. "Doctor."

"What?"

"Don't encourage her," she replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you kiss her, Doctor?" asked Abby. "You're gonna have to kiss her when you get married."

His eyes widened. "I'm sorry?" he choked out.

Rose went crimson. "I didn't say we were getting married!" she assured him quickly. "She just...I dunno, assumed or something!"

"Bobby kissed me on the cheek yesterday," Abby boasted. Then she wrinkled her nose. "But he'd just eaten an ice lolly so his lips were sticky. If you two kissed now your lips would be sticky from your ice cream, wouldn't they? Maybe you'd better wait until later, then," she pondered.

"Yeah," the Doctor squeaked. "Maybe."

"Um, Abby, shouldn't you go back to your parents or something?" Rose asked.

"Oh, they won't notice I've come over here," she said dismissively. She pointed at a couple across the park, who looked like they were having a heated argument. "That's them, there. They're fighting."

Rose bit her lip. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," the little girl said brightly. "They always make up after. In fact, Daddy calls it Making-Up Time in the evenings, which is why I have to go to bed early sometimes, for some reason."

The Doctor and Rose tried not to giggle. "Oh, okay then," replied the Doctor.

"Shall we sit down?" asked Abby.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows and glanced at Rose, who shrugged. They simultaneously sat down, cross-legged, in a little circle on the grass, with Abby chatting away in the way kids do, about nothing and everything.

During her monologue, wherein he and Rose nodded and inserted, "Oh," and "Hmm," in the appropriate places, the Doctor focussed his gaze on Rose. She was looking at Abby, so she didn't notice him staring, which was good, because he was thinking, and when he was thinking he often thought about Rose, and when he often thought about Rose, his thoughts slid into one of two different directions, depending on the situation.

One direction was the direction he was decidedly not thinking about at the moment, considering they had company and were in a public place (though granted, this didn't always stop those thoughts, but seeing as said company was a child in this case, his mind did behave accordingly and steered clear of such things.)

Which left the other direction, the slightly sombre direction. Watching her interact with Abby, watching her look around them at all the couples and families in the park, a strange sense of fear crept up on him unexpectedly. Swallowing hard against the lump in his throat, he started to think about what he would do if she left. What if one day she realised that the way she lived her life with him wasn't what she wanted anymore?

What if one day she realised that she wanted a life back here, on Earth, where she could witness the changes to her favourite places as they came, instead of popping in and out and finding things gone before she even thought to say goodbye to them? What if one day she'd want to sit in this park, not with the Doctor but with someone she...someone she...

The Doctor shook his head at himself, trying to focus on what the little girl was saying.

"Then I told Bertie he was the best dog in the world anyway, so it didn't matter that he'd chewed up my favourite toy," Abby continued. "But my brother Tom doesn't think so, 'cos he also bit into his video game...but anyway, what was I going to say? Oh yeah, the Summer Fayre! Well, my Mum's on the PTA, so..."

What if Rose wanted a dog? he thought next. What if she wanted a dog, and a little girl like Abby, and a little boy like Tom, and...and...a husband and a house and Summer Fayres that happen linearly and holidays in Spain and...

"Doctor, are you all right?" Rose asked suddenly.

He blinked, and found his voice to answer, "Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"You're not eating your ice cream," she pointed out pragmatically. "It's melting. I've already finished and usually yours is gone _way_ before mine."

He glanced at it. "Oh, yeah." He cleared his throat. "I'm not so hungry anymore."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Give it here, then. Don't waste it."

"Thought you didn't want Time Lord germs," he mumbled, but handed it to her anyway.

"I think I'm okay with your Time Lord germs," she replied, smiling cheekily at him as she ate his ice cream. "Just yours though, 'cos you're special."

"Am I?" he wondered.

"Everyone's special," piped up Abby.

"That's true," agreed Rose, who looked back at the little girl to avoid the Doctor's eye. "But not everyone's special to me."

"Now Rose," he began, his voice faltering slightly. "That's not true - you like everyone. You try to help everyone, even those who've been rude to you or have previously tried to kill you!"

Rose smiled at Abby. "He still doesn't understand that he's my best friend," she confided, before finishing his ice cream.

"Actually, I do understand that, thanks," he argued gently. He reached forward and swiped his thumb across the corner of her mouth, wiping away traces of his chocolate ice cream. Then he licked it off his thumb, and realised she was staring at him. "What?"

She shook her head, trying to keep a straight face. "Nothing," she murmured.

They looked at each other for a while, until the sound of a woman calling Abby's name made them glance across the park.

"Oops, I'd better go," said Abby, jumping up. She beamed down at them. "Don't forget to get married," she told them seriously, then bounced away to join her parents.

"Rose," he said roughly, into the awkward silence. She met his intent gaze. This was one of those Significant Moments, he realised, gulping audibly. What he did now could potentially change everything. And oh, how he maybe sort of wanted to. "Rose - "

"What was wrong, earlier?" she interrupted him.

The Doctor continued to look at her, confused as to what she was referring to. The other sorts of thoughts were now arriving, starting to throw him off-kilter. "Hmm?"

"Earlier, what was wrong?" she said quickly. "When Abby was talking, you zoned out and looked a bit...odd. I was worried that maybe you..."

"What?"

"Well, were you bored?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Were you thinking sad thoughts?"

He half-smiled. "Perhaps."

She frowned, and uncrossed her legs to move closer to him. "Any way I can help?" she asked gently.

He stretched his legs out and laid down on the grass, and Rose did the same. They turned their heads to look at one another, their faces very close. Their empty hands between them found their partners, and blimey, he never wanted to lay here, like this, with anyone else, and he never wanted her to lay here, like this, with anyone else.

"Yeah, there is," he answered her finally. "Stay with me."

She nodded, and the grass tickled her nose. "Always," she answered confidently, because as long as he wanted her to, she would. And she knew that even long after he left her, she'd still want to. So it was near enough the truth.


	2. The Receptionist in the B&B

Two weeks after the Abby Incident and two weeks of unresolved sexual tension later, Rose and the Doctor had been mistaken for a couple thrice more. It was really starting to become problematic for the Doctor, who inexplicably wanted to waggle his eyebrows at his pink and yellow friend and declare "well, we might as well!" He did not, however, act on such desires. Instead, they plodded along as usual, ignoring every suggestion that they were together in any other way than simply travelling companions.

Then came the planet with the festival.

Well, no, actually; the festival part wasn't that important. Although, they had shared a toffee apple at said festival which had been...inspiring. But no, no; the truly inspiring part had been before they actually got to the festival. He'd landed them in the evening before the festivities were to commence, and they decided to have a wander about the town. Night fell quicker than they'd anticipated, however, and they consequently got lost in the dark. Unwilling to spend however many hours traipsing around the planet in search of where they'd left the TARDIS, they decided to stay the night at a Bed & Breakfast. Of course, it was just their luck that nowhere seemed to have any room at the inn, so to speak.

At last, though, they found somewhere. Aptly, the B&B in question was called The Wanderers' Rapture. The Doctor grinned. Well, they were certainly wanderers, and they were most definitely happy. They ambled inside, arm in arm.

The Doctor beamed as they entered, seizing the receptionist's attention immediately. "Hello! That sign in your window says there's a vacancy - is that right?"

"Yes, sir, there is indeed a vacancy," the man replied.

"Well, here's my credentials." The Doctor grinned, flashing his psychic paper as payment. Rose bit her lip, feeling a bit guilty at cheating with the money thing.

"Thank you, sir. And how long will you and your wife require a room for?" asked the receptionist politely.

Rose raised an eyebrow and - before the Doctor could reply - she said, "Oh, um, we're not married."

The Doctor put his hands in his pockets, looking uncomfortable, and pitched in, "But we'd like a room just for tonight, thank you."

The receptionist smiled knowingly at them both. "Don't worry," he said in a low voice. "Our establishment is known for this. We are always discreet."

"I'm sorry?" asked the Doctor.

"Known for what?" asked Rose.

"Well, you know." He waggled his eyebrows. They stared at him blankly and his smile dimmed a bit. "Oh. Isn't that why you're here? I assumed..."

"You assumed what?" pressed Rose.

The receptionist leant forwards conspiratorially. "Our establishment allows certain illicit activities to occur behind closed doors."

"Ah," mumbled the Doctor, reaching up to tug on his ear awkwardly. Rose's eyes had widened, and he thought it best they leave now, before the receptionist said anymore. "Right, well, thanks. Um, well then, I suppose we'd best..." He nodded towards the stairs.

"Here is your room key. You will not be disturbed." He winked at them, and then the Doctor quickly nudged Rose in the direction of the staircase.

"So," she murmured casually, as they walked upstairs side by side. "Does he think we're going up here to have sex?"

"He most certainly does," answered the Doctor, looking anywhere but at her. The Wanderers' Rapture, indeed.

They reached the landing and he spotted their room number on a door. "Ah, here we are." He strode towards it somewhat purposefully and opened it. His mouth dropped open.

Rose came in after him and gasped. "Bloody hell! It looks like some sort of posh brothel!"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "I won't inquire as to how you know that."

She waved it off dazedly, muttering something about one of Jack's stories. She closed the door behind them and when she did so, the lights dimmed and soft, sultry music began to play.

The Doctor swallowed thickly and turned around to face Rose, who looked like she was going to burst into laughter. "Sorry about this, Rose," he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. "I honestly had no clue that this place was so...well, like this."

"That's okay," Rose giggled. "As we discovered, it's the only B&B 'round here with vacant rooms, so it'll have to do."

She glanced at the sizeable bed in the centre of the room. He glanced at it too, and several tense moments went by in which he made the executive decision to ask Rose whether she would perhaps, maybe, like to use this room for its intended purpose, considering they were here and, well, you know, big bed and nice music and everything —

But then she yawned widely, flopped down on the bed, and mumbled, "S'pose I'd better get some sleep, then, if we've got to be up early tomorrow for the festival."

He swallowed down his disappointment and nodded. "Yes. Yes. Um...I'll just..." He nodded towards the armchair in the corner of the room.

"Don't be silly, this bed's big enough for both of us," she murmured, shifting over to make room for him.

He gulped. "Are...are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course." She quickly sat up to take off her shoes then leant back against the pillows again and closed her eyes.

He hovered awkwardly by the side of the bed. "You're not going to sleep with the duvet over you?"

"Hmm?"

"The duvet," he repeated. "You might get cold in the night."

Rose yawned again and, still with her eyes closed, wrestled herself beneath the covers. She hadn't brought anything to change into, and frankly she was too tired to care that she had to sleep in her jeans and t-shirt. The Doctor watched her for a few moments, unbuttoning his jacket and shrugging it off, placing it carefully over the armchair. He tugged his tie loose and put it with his jacket, toed out of his converses, and gingerly slipped beneath the duvet. Careful distance away from Rose most definitely kept.

It was a few hours before the Doctor fell asleep himself, flat on his back and arms beneath his head. When he awoke, however, he was in a rather different position.

"Um, Doctor?" came the very amused voice of Rose Tyler.

Whatever his cheek was pressing into felt a lot warmer and a lot more human-y than a pillow or mattress. It also smelt divine. And very like Rose, he pondered. Curious, he opened his eyes and squinted in the sunlight streaming in through the window to try and focus enough to determine where he was. Rose started to giggle, and he felt the vibrations of her giggling against his cheek.

His eyes widened and he realised exactly where he was.

Rose's giggles turned into full on hysterics when the Doctor jumped away from her so fast that he fell off of the bed and onto his bum.

"I am so, so, so, so, so sorry about that, Rose," he vowed vehemently. "I did not mean for that to happen. At all. Ever. Well, maybe not ever. I mean. Wait. No, definitely not. Never ever. Ever. Yes." He ruffled his hair and groaned at his idiocy.

Thankfully, Rose tampered down her laughing. "It's okay, Doctor. It's my fault, really."

"How is your fault that you woke up to find my head on your — your - " he gestured frantically at her chest. "Your - "

_gorgeous perfect breasts_

"My boobs," she said.

He gulped. "Yes, those."

"Well, that's not my fault, no, but it's my fault I've only got my bra on."

His brow furrowed thoughtfully. "Oh yes. I seem to remember you going to bed with your top definitely on, too, last night," he remarked.

Rose nodded. "I got hot in the night, so I took it off."

The Doctor rubbed at his chest, trying ineffectually to ease his hearts' palpitations. "Right, yes, yes, of course," he muttered.

"Doctor, do you realise that you've been staring at me in my bra ever since you woke up?" she teased.

His eyes snapped up to meet hers. "Blimey, so I was. Sorry about that. I, uh...I was just. Huh. Calculating. Noticing, purely scientifically, that your left breast is slightly larger than your right. Almost invisible to the human eye, but — Time Lord senses, me, and - "

Rose stared at him in horror. "Woah, woah, woah," she interrupted him. "Stop right there!"

He tugged his ear awkwardly. "Wrong thing to say?" he guessed.

"You betcha," she replied, folding her arms.

The Doctor's gaze slipped accidentally because of her action, which only fuelled Rose's displeasure with him further.

"Oi! Eyes up here!" she huffed, pulling the duvet over her chest. "You don't get to look at them now you've gone and told me how imperfect they are!"

"No, no, no, no," he stammered out quickly. "I didn't mean it like that! On the contrary, they are, from what I could see of them encased in that lovely lavender bra of yours, perfectly fine - "

"Fine? Fine, he says!" she exclaimed, chucking a pillow at him. "Why don't you drop your trousers and let me see how 'fine' your manly bits are, eh?"

The Doctor scrambled to stand up. "I don't, um. I don't think that's really necessary, is it?" he squeaked.

Rose very maturely stuck her tongue out at him. "I don't want to see them anyway," she said.

"Fine," he huffed.

"Fine," she replied.

"Good!"

"Good!"

They were silent for a moment.

"No but really, Rose, your breasts are - "

"Enough!" she hushed him. Then she muttered, "You didn't see them properly anyway, so what would you know?"

The Doctor heard her mutterings. "Well then," he said, as if that concluded the topic. He glanced at the floor and picked up the pillow she'd thrown at him, tossing it back to her. It accidentally hit her in the face and she scowled at him again. He tried not to laugh, but a chuckle slipped past his lips despite himself, and then he noticed that Rose was, in actual fact, trying to suppress her own giggling, and then they both lost it and started laughing uncontrollably. He flopped back down next to her on the bed.

"At least you didn't drool," she murmured suddenly.

"What?"

"Usually, you drool in your sleep," she clarified. "This time, you didn't."

The Doctor just stared at her.

Rose frowned. "Actually, I don't know whether that's a good thing or not. Should I be offended?"

He thought about the dream he'd been having whilst his face had been cushioned against her chest, and realised that it was the first dream he'd dreamt for a good few months that did not, in actual fact, at some point involve Rose at various levels of nakedness. He laughed, finding the irony hilarious.

"What's so funny?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Nothing, nothing. I was just remembering the dream I was having earlier."

Her eyebrows raised up her forehead.

"No, no, nothing like that," he assured her honestly. Ha. That was a first. "It was about this banana grove on the planet Fersifpau... we should go there sometime."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Freud would have a field day with you," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I said, I wonder who, exactly, likes looking at themselves in that mirror whilst engaging in sexual activities," she replied innocently, pointing up at the mirror above the bed.

The Doctor followed her line of sight and gaped. "Oh," he murmured. He hadn't noticed that there last night in the dark, even with his superior Time Lord vision. He supposed he must have been distracted.

"So, shall we go to the festival, then?" she asked brightly, watching his reflection in the mirror.

He blinked slowly and mumbled, "Hmm?"

"The festival? Shall we get ready and go?"

"Oh! Right! The festival, yes!"

"Unless you want to stay here and make use of this bed," she joked.

"What!" he demanded, his head turning to face her so quickly he almost strained his neck.

"I was just joking, Doctor, blimey. Chill out. Come on, let's go," she said, throwing back the duvet. Back turned to him, she reached for her top and slipped it back on. The Doctor decided that this action was the worst thing to happen all morning. He'd make sure to take them to a beach, soon, so that he could see her in that bikini of hers again, the one she wore a few months back when they went to Florida. Yes. Yes, that sounded like a good plan.

A very good plan indeed.


	3. The Artist on the Beach

It was a few days later when he managed to implement his plan of visiting a beach. They were on the planet Nifoso in the constellation of Ambidia, and the aforementioned beach was very luxurious. White sand and amethyst oceans and friendly, fun Nifosoians. It was the perfect place for Rose to wear that nice bikini. The Doctor was very, very disappointed that she was wearing it beneath a sarong that covered up most of her body, tied around her chest as it was.

After their stroll along the front, they found a spot on the beach to lie down and sunbathe.

"Why don't you take your sarong off now? You could get a nice tan," the Doctor suggested casually, watching her settle down atop a towel on the sand.

"Oh no," she laughed, wagging her finger at him. "You don't get to see them again, remember?"

He pouted and she laughed.

Nevertheless, she sat up, and - facing the other direction - she untied her sarong and unhooked her bikini top, setting them both down beside her, before carefully laying on her stomach, topless, her eyes closed as she settled in to sunbathe. "Would you mind doing my back for me?"

Rendered speechless for a few moments, the Doctor finally replied, "Hmm?"

"The sun tan lotion, it's just there. Could you? I can't reach."

"Right. Yes. Certainly."

Somewhat in awe of the marvellous situation he'd found himself in, the Doctor rubbed sun tan lotion into her back for her. He was completely unaffected by touching her bare skin in such a way, of course. Perhaps. Maybe.

Or, you know...definitely not.

He was sitting beside her and, once he'd finished her back, he almost had a heart attack when she sleepily asked him to do the same with the backs of her legs.

"Cos I don't want to burn," she concluded.

"Right then," he answered, his voice rather hoarse. He put it down to dehydration. He'd go and get them some more drinks after this. Yeah, that sounded nice.

He wasn't quite prepared for the little noises she started to make as he ran his hands back and forth over her calves and thighs, rubbing the lotion in thoroughly.

_Rassilon. Is this what she sounds like when —_

He cleared his throat and shook his head violently, as if trying to clear his thoughts, too.

"Mmm, that feels nice, Doctor," she mumbled drowsily. "Might have to get you to give me a full body massage every time we come back from a running-filled adventure, eh?"

_yes oh yes please anything you want yes_

"That, uh. That could be arranged," he said.

Rose giggled. "You're very good with your hands."

He arched an eyebrow and stilled for a moment, before resuming. "Yeah," he exhaled roughly.

 _you're very good with your everything,_ he thought.

Once he'd rubbed all the lotion in, he quickly wiped his hands on a spare towel to lie down beside her, turning his head to face hers.

"Do you think I should take them off?" she murmured.

Confused at what she was talking about, he responded with an eloquent, "What?"

"Well, I don't want to get a tan line," she replied thoughtfully.

He saw mischief in her eyes. And the way she was biting down on her bottom lip like that —

Yes, she was definitely up to something.

"I'm guessing you don't mean your sunglasses," he replied, his throat feeling even drier. Damn, he was supposed to go and get them more drinks, wasn't he? How'd he forgotten that?

Rose flexed her legs slightly.

Oh yes. Those. That was how he'd forgotten the drinks. For a relatively short woman, she did seem to have legs that went on forever. Or maybe that was just because she was wearing very little right now.

Rose smirked at him and he realised she'd realised he was staring at her legs.

"So shall I?" she asked innocently.

"This isn't a nudist beach, Rose," he managed to reply. "In fact, you're taking liberties by simply removing your bikini top."

"Nonsense," she scoffed, and jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "As we walked along I saw loads of women lying down topless."

"Really?"

"Yep," she assured him. She raised an incredulous eyebrow. "What, you didn't notice?"

"No, I didn't," he replied honestly. "Probably distracted."

"By what?"

"I was looking at your hair," he admitted.

"My...hair?"

"Yeah. You looked beautiful. The way your hair caught the slightly pinkish sunlight as it reflected off the sea - " he stopped abruptly when he saw she was staring at him in disbelief.

Thankfully, the awkward, quiet moment was interrupted by a random stranger. "Er, excuse me?" a man asked, coughing politely to get their attention.

They both looked up at the man in surprise. "Hello," the Doctor replied cheerfully. "Everything all right?"

The man smiled at the Doctor. "Hello, yes, fine thank you. This may seem a little odd, but you see, I am an artist, and I've been trying to find some inspiration and I just looked over here and saw you two and, well, forgive me if this seems rude, but I was wondering if you would mind if I asked your, uh - wife? Girlfriend? — to pose for a painting?"

"Pardon?" replied the Doctor incredulously, his eyes almost popping out of his head. "No, she can most certainly not pose for your painting!"

"Oi!" shouted Rose, from her position on her stomach. She craned her neck to look at the man properly. "Don't listen to him, he's an idiot," she said apologetically. Then, she hissed to the Doctor, "You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do, you know."

He couldn't believe what she was implying. "Woah, hang on a second — you're not actually going to let him paint you, are you?"

Rose gave a shrug. "What's your name?" she asked the man.

"Devfi," he answered, his eyes twinkling at her. "You are most beautiful. I would be delighted to have the fortune to paint a portrait of such an exquisite creature."

The Doctor decidedly did not like this turn of events. Not at _all._

"And what exactly would I be wearing in this painting of yours?" she asked curiously.

The Doctor flopped onto his back in defeat, glaring at the 'artist.'

Devfi seemed to notice the Doctor's reaction, for he said, "That depends on what your boyfriend deems appropriate."

"Bloody doesn't," she retorted. "And he's not my boyfriend."

The Doctor stood up abruptly. "I'm thirsty," he murmured, not looking at her. "I'll go and get us some drinks." Before he walked away, he briefly met her eyes and said, sincerely, "Be careful."

As he walked towards the on-beach bar they'd been to earlier, the Doctor ignored her calling out to him. He also tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach. And the lump in his throat. And the frantic, fearful beating of his hearts.

It didn't work, and by the time he'd bought a couple of banana daiquiris for him and Rose, he abruptly realised that his hands were shaking. He inhaled a deep breath and focused on stopping them before he spilt the drinks, and hoped fervently that Rose was where he left her when he returned.

He exhaled roughly in relief when, as he got closer to their sunbathing spot, he saw that she was still there. And that Devfi fellow was nowhere to be seen.

He cleared his throat gently so that he wouldn't startle her when he spoke. "Here we go, got our drinks."

She sat up immediately as she heard him, seeming to forget about her topless nature. "I'm sorry," she said quickly.

The Doctor handed her the daiquiri. "What? Why?" he replied, feigning nonchalance.

"I wasn't really going to let him paint me," she admitted. She took a sip of her drink and he did the same. "I promise."

The Doctor shrugged. "None of my business, is it?" he murmured, glancing towards the sea.

"Doctor," she continued, grabbing his hand.

He looked towards her again. "Yeah?"

"I was only encouraging him to see what you would say. And to teach you a lesson for thinking you can decide things for me all the time."

"Okay," he said simply. He took another sip of his drink. "These are nice, aren't they?"

"Doctor, don't change the subject."

"But they are."

"I want to know if I upset you; I don't care about stupid banana daiquiris right now."

"I wasn't talking about the banana daiquiris," he countered, sending her a cheeky grin.

Her brow furrowed in confusion.

He tilted his head forward in indication.

She looked down at herself. "Oh," she murmured. "Forgot."

"So it would seem," he smiled.

"Shut up," she said, through a giggle, and reached for her bikini top.

"I've seen them now, you might as well leave it off," he suggested.

"In your dreams," she retorted, as she put the garment back on.

The Doctor raised his glass and clinked it against hers. "Cheers to that," he remarked, arching an eyebrow.

She shook her head at him affectionately. "Want to go for a swim?"

"I left my trunks on the TARDIS. You go on in. I'll watch you."

"It'll be no fun on my own," she complained, jumping up and tugging him by the hand. "Besides, I know you left them there on purpose, so I have to punish you for it - "

_there you go again, giving me all these inappropriate thoughts_

" — by dragging you into the sea in your suit," she finished.

Smiling at the youthful, unbridled joy on her face, he let her.


	4. Jackie Tyler in the Tyler Flat

She walked in on them having a pillow fight in Rose's old bedroom.

Or, to be more specific, she walked in on Rose defeating the Doctor in said pillow fight by pinning him to her bed, her knees either side of him.

Jackie put her hands on her hips and — because, giggling manically as they were, they'd yet to notice they weren't alone — she coughed loudly to announce her presence. Rose looked up and shifted off of the Doctor, landing next to him with a bounce. "Hi, Mum!" she called cheerfully.

She raised an eyebrow. "Hello. Listen, just because I popped out to the shops and left you alone for ten minutes, doesn't mean you two can get up to mischief in your old bedroom, Rose."

"Mischief?" the Doctor squeaked. "What 'mischief?' It was just a pillow fight!"

"Oh, and I suppose Rose straddling you like that wasn't in the least bit sexual, eh?"

"Mum!" Rose exclaimed. The Doctor went bright red.

"I'm alright with it, by the way," Jackie said next, waving her hand dismissively, "I just don't want to walk in on it, alright?"

"Walk in on what?" demanded Rose, starting to laugh. "Mum, the Doctor and me do not have sex."

"You don't have to sound so amused by the notion," he muttered to her, pouting.

"Don't encourage her!" she whispered back, then turned to her mum again. "Mum, seriously, it was just a pillow fight."

"You can't fool me. Pillow fights are for either a) children, or b) lovers," Jackie informed them knowledgeably.

"Well, everyone knows the Doctor's just a big kid, eh?" explained Rose.

"Oi!" he cried out defensively.

"Good point," nodded Jackie, then closed Rose's door and decided to leave them to it. As she walked away, she distinctly heard the Doctor announce that payback would be a tickling contest. She shook her head in wry amusement. "If they aren't shagging, the Pope's not a Catholic," she thought to herself.

Later, Jackie looked between the two of them in confusion as they stared each other down across the dinner table. "What's going on?" she asked, sighing exasperatedly.

"Nothing," Rose replied, at the exact same time as the Doctor, in the exact same innocent tone.

"Pffft, yeah right," Jackie muttered. She gulped a few sips of her wine down her throat, thinking not for the first time that the slightly odd pair were made for each other. Only they could understand each other's weirdness, after all. Not that Rose had acted weirdly before she met him, Jackie realised, but still.

Suddenly, the Doctor scraped his chair back and stood up, launching himself across the room to the sofa. Rose shrieked in alarm and dashed after him, shouting, "No! No! You promised you wouldn't!" and jumping on top of him on the sofa to fight him for his coat, which he'd discarded there that morning upon arrival at the Tyler residence.

Jackie's eyes bugged out of her head. "Honestly, can't you two keep your hands off each other to even eat dinner?"

Her question went unheard or ignored, it seemed, for the Doctor and Rose did not reply. Instead, Jackie had to witness the Doctor grabbing Rose by the waist and toppling her off of him, thus off of the sofa, then following her as he overbalanced, ending up sprawled atop her on the floor. Rose groaned at his weight falling onto her. Jackie opened another bottle of wine and drank from it, utterly defeated and confused by their antics. Did they honestly think it was acceptable to act this way? They were adults and they were visiting another adult. Either they thought they were in their own little bubble with no normal people around to witness their silliness, or they thought they were actually acting like normal people themselves.

The Doctor scrambled up and grabbed his coat, and Rose was too slow to snatch it off him. Laughing gleefully, the Time Lord bounded over to Jackie as he delved inside one of the pockets. "You're gonna want to see this," he chortled.

Jackie raised her eyebrows. "I doubt it," she muttered.

Rose, surrendering in the face of defeat, flung herself back onto the sofa despondently. "I can't believe you're doing this to me," she grumbled.

The Doctor handed Jackie a pile of photographs and confided, "Don't worry, she'll forgive me eventually."

Jackie rolled her eyes, then looked at the photos. And burst into laughter.

"Oh, Rose!" she giggled. "What did you do?"

The Doctor grinned, bouncing back and forth on his feet. "Sorry, Rose. I couldn't resist. I had to show someone!"

"I'm never getting drunk with you ever, ever, ever again," Rose decided.

He snorted. "Yeah, right."

Jackie flicked through the photos, chuckling at the embarrassing images of her daughter. She acted even sillier when drunk, it seemed. Jackie suspected that she might have gotten that from her, but she would never admit that aloud. "Did you actually dye your hair pink?" Jackie asked, wiping her eyes in mirth.

"Yes," Rose grumbled. "Doctor's fault."

"No it wasn't!" he retorted indignantly. "You did all these funny things of your own accord!"

"Oh," murmured Jackie, sounding breathless.

The Doctor turned back to her curiously. "What is it?"

Jackie stared at the photo in awe. "This is beautiful. Did you take this?" she asked him.

His brow furrowed in confusion and he stepped closer to look over her shoulder at which one she was looking at. His eyes widened and he snatched the photo out of her hands. "Oh, uh, that's not..." he mumbled, hastily shoving it into the pocket of his jacket.

By this point, Rose had returned to the table. Both she and her mother stared at him. "What?" asked Rose. "What's it of?"

"You," Jackie whispered.

The Doctor met Jackie's eyes and silently begged for her not to say anymore.

"Doctor?" Rose prompted. "Doctor, show me. Just...show me."

He sighed and closed his eyes, withdrawing the photograph from his pocket. Silently, he handed it to Rose, looking anywhere but at her, embarrassed beyond all measure.

"You took this?" Rose asked, as she stared at a black and white image of herself asleep beneath an Earth oak tree. They had been to a park the day before, just a little, ordinary park in Ireland somewhere. It had been a bright and warm day, and the Doctor had bunched up his coat as a pillow for her so that she could lean against the tree and doze off in the afternoon sun. Only, you couldn't see any of that; you couldn't even see the oak tree. The shot was a close up, showcasing her face and hair and neck and a glimpse of bare shoulder where her top had slipped slightly, and that was all. It was...personal. Intimate. The fact that the photo was absent of colour only added to the tenderness with which it seemed to have been taken.

"Why?" she said softly.

The Doctor muttered something unintelligible then coughed purposefully.

"Sorry?"

He raised his voice along with his gaze, and stared into her eyes as he told her, "Because I...you looked...I wanted to capture the moment. I'm sorry, I should've asked your permission."

Rose shook her head slightly. "I don't mind. Besides," she added, an eyebrow rising. "This is a much nicer photo than those horrific ones of me dancing drunk on a table in a pub on Clom."

The corner of his mouth tipped into a smile. "I think you look beautiful in every single one," he told her gently.

Jackie's eyes darted from between the two of them again, half expecting them to fling themselves at each other and start snogging right in front of her. But they didn't. Instead, the Doctor broke their heated gaze and held both his hands out — one towards Rose, one towards Jackie. "So, can I have them back, then?" he asked quietly, now not looking directly at either of them. Jackie placed the pile onto his hand and he put them back into his pocket. Rose was a little more reluctant to give him hers.

"Can I ask you something?" she said, holding her arm out when he tried to make a grab for the photo.

He sighed and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Go ahead."

"Have you taken other photos of me without me realising?" she asked.

The Doctor froze. "I...uh...I'm not sure."

Rose arched a dubious eyebrow and moved over to him, handing him the photo. "Liar," she said softly. But, to his surprise, she didn't pursue it, and simply sat back down at the table to finish her dinner. He sat down opposite her again, relieved, and steadfastly ignored Jackie Tyler smirking at him in his peripheral vision.

After dinner, which resumed as normal after the photograph incident, Jackie found herself reiterating her point about their apparent closeness yet again, when she walked into the kitchen to find the Doctor and Rose engaged in what appeared to be a wrestling match.

"What on Earth are you two up to now?" she demanded. "Honestly! I only sent you in here to do the washing up!"

The Doctor looked over at Jackie from his position bending Rose backwards, a vice-like grip around her waist with one arm as his other was held up in defense of his face. "She's trying to feed me a pear," he informed Jackie. He pulled a face. "Again. Your daughter is evil."

Rose, giggling and moving restlessly against him in his tight hold, managed to shove the pear closer to his face. The hand of his defending arm grabbed her wrist and shook it, trying to shake the pear out of her grasp.

"I'm only getting you back for earlier," she told him ruefully.

"I think I came out of that more embarrassed than you," he reminded her.

Jackie rolled her eyes and left the room, once again leaving them to it.

Rose paused her movements. "Don't be embarrassed," she murmured, biting her lip. "I mean, I...it was..."

"Thank you for letting me keep it," he said softly.

She licked her dry lips. His gaze dropped to her mouth but just as quickly returned to her eyes. "Doctor," she murmured. His thumb traced circles around her wrist. "I, uh..." she trailed off again. The pear dropped from her hand and hit the floor with a large splat. Rose jumped free from the Doctor's hold in surprise, and bent over to clear it up.

The Doctor handed her some kitchen roll but didn't crouch down to help her. He needed to get his breathing and heart rate under control before she stood back up, and he couldn't do that if her face was right by his.

can't kiss her won't kiss her shan't kiss her, he thought to himself like a mantra.

He heard her throw the squashed pear in the bin and turn to the sink, muttering something about how they'd better get the washing up done.

He realised with a strange sort of sadness that he'd just had a lucky escape from the pear and an unlucky escape from yet another Significant Moment with Rose.


	5. Shareen in her Kitchen

"Hi, Shareen!" Rose beamed, as her friend opened her front door.

"Rose! Cor, long time no see!" Shareen grinned, grabbing her into a hug. As she looked over her shoulder she noticed the Doctor and let go of Rose. "And you, Mister!" She hugged him, too. "How are you both?" she asked, ushering them into her flat.

The Doctor took all this in his stride and made himself at home, flopping down on the sofa in Shareen's living room. "We're fine, thanks," he answered, picking up the television remote. Rose sat down next to him and snatched the remote out of his hand with that look on her face that told him he was being rude. He mock-glared at her.

"Would you like a cuppa?" Shareen asked.

"Oooh, yes, please," replied the Doctor enthusiastically.

Rose agreed. "I'll come help."

Once they were in the kitchen, Shareen closed the door, switched on the kettle, and turned to Rose. "So. How are things? What have you been up to?" She waggled her eyebrows.

Rose looked at her oddly. "Great, thanks. We've been travelling all over, really. It's been fun."

Shareen folded her arms. "Aren't you going to tell me, then?"

"Tell you what?"

"Before him, you used to tell me that sort of thing."

"What sort of thing?"

"What's he like, Rose?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, older man, ain't he?" Shareen grinned. "Got some experience and all that."

"What?"

Shareen rolled her eyes. "The sex, Rose!" she whispered. "How is it?"

"What?" Rose repeated, a little speechless.

"Quick, before we have to go back in there with the tea. I promise I won't ask you anymore about it, not in front of him. So quickly, now, while he's not listening; it may be our only chance."

"What?" Rose said again.

Shareen sighed. "Why won't you play the game?"

"What game? The rating game?"

"Yes! We always did that once we'd been seeing a new man for a while. So, Jimmy was a seven - "

Rose wrinkled her nose up. "Four," she corrected.

Shareen raised an eyebrow. "At the time, you said seven."

"At the time, he was my first," Rose pointed out.

"Good point. Mickey was an eight - "

Rose tilted her head to the side, contemplative. "Don't ever tell him this, but I'm knocking a few points off him, too. Six."

Shareen's eyes bugged out of her head. "He must be good, then!" She giggled, nodding her head in the direction of the Doctor.

"Shareen, I've told you before and I'll tell you again: the Doctor and me do not have sex." She glanced at the kettle, which had just signalled that it'd boiled. "I've no idea what he's like in bed."

Shareen stared at her. She carried on staring at her, in silence, as Rose made the tea herself.

"You realise that he's possibly the sexiest bloke we have ever or will ever meet, right?" Shareen checked.

Rose laughed. "You wouldn't say that if you met Captain Jack. He's way more your type. But yes, I accept that for me, he's as sexy as they get."

"Then what the hell is your problem? Shag him!"

Rose rolled her eyes. "It's not as simple as that, Shareen! He's my friend. My best friend. I can't just...launch myself at him like that. It'd ruin our friendship."

"Rubbish!"

"If I made a move on you, right now, you'd tell me to stop being silly and our friendship would be forever ruined," Rose pointed out.

"Well, yes, but I'm not him, am I? It's completely different! He's a man, and he's sexy, and you travel the world with him. You basically live with him, you're basically together. Therefore, surely, Rose, there've been moments when you've nearly..." She waggled her eyebrows again.

Rose sighed. "I kind of think there have been. But I dunno, 'cos you see, he's not — he doesn't — oh, I dunno."

At that point, the Doctor called out Rose's name. Shareen raised her eyebrows. "See. You've been in this kitchen less than five minutes and he already misses you."

Rose smiled at her friend sarcastically and, finished with making the tea, they walked back through to the living room.

"Here you go, Doctor," Rose murmured, handing him his mug.

He beamed at her gratefully. "Thanks."

She sat down next to him and felt Shareen's stare on them as he flung his arm around her shoulders and tucked her into his side.

"So, Doctor," began Shareen. Rose shot her a warning glare but she ignored it. "You and Rose, travelling the world, eh?"

The Doctor nodded. "That's right, yes."

"Must be exciting," Shareen added.

"It is," he agreed.

"Do you have like, a permanent base? Somewhere you both stay when you're not travelling?"

"Of sorts..." he answered thoughtfully. "Though it's sort of portable, so...not really, I suppose."

"What, like a camper van?"

The Doctor smiled, and Rose tried not to giggle. "Something like that."

"Reckon you ever see yourself stopping all the travelling and settling down some day?" Shareen inquired innocently.

Rose rolled her eyes again. "You don't have to answer all her questions," she said softly, addressing the Doctor.

But he just shrugged a shoulder and answered Shareen anyway. "That depends."

Rose turned her head sharply to look at him. "What?"

"On what?" Shareen asked.

He shrugged again. "On what happens in the future."

Rose stared at him in confusion. Shareen looked between them curiously, wondering at Rose's reaction. The Doctor coughed awkwardly and changed the subject.

"So! Been up to much recently, Shareen?" he asked, taking a sip of his tea.

::

Later, back in the TARDIS, Rose couldn't help but bring the topic up. "What was all that about, earlier?" she asked, flopping down onto the jumpseat.

"What's that?" he replied, as he piloted the TARDIS into the time vortex.

"Earlier, at Shareen's, the 'depends on what happens in the future' thing?"

"Well, it does, doesn't it? Who knows what'll happen. I can't say for definite what the future will hold. Maybe one day circumstances will present themselves for which we'd have to settle down. Anyway! Fancy some chips?" he asked brightly.

He was being elusive and deflective. Rose found it frustrating. She also didn't know how to continue the conversation in the way she wanted without things becoming unbearably awkward. So, like him, she ignored it had ever happened and replied, "Yeah, chips sound great to me."


	6. The Market Place

And then came the day when the Doctor and Rose, still not a couple, were not mistaken for a couple. And they didn't like it. Or at least, on this particular occasion, the Doctor didn't like it.

They were at a marketplace on the planet Cahgoe Seven, strolling around as they chatted amiably about everything and nothing, browsing the stalls with great interest.

"Ooooh, look Rose!" exclaimed the Doctor, gesturing with his head towards a stall selling what looked to Rose like some sort of unidentifiable technology. He had to gesture towards it with his head due to him having his hands full of Rose's shopping bags.

Rose thought it highly remarkable that he hadn't complained about holding her shopping once today. She wondered whether it was because of their last shopping trip, when he had utterly refused to help her carry her things; later, she'd tripped over as she struggled with them all and sent the bags tumbling down the hill. He felt guilty for the rest of the day, telling her over and over that he'd only been joking and how he wished he'd not made the joke if it resulted in his jeopardy-friendly friend getting hurt. She, in turn, told him over and over to stop saying sorry because she was fine and it didn't matter. He only stopped when she resorted to threatening him with a punch in the face if he didn't. She smiled at the memory. As if she'd really have it in her to punch that lovely face of his —

"Rose, are you listening to me? Look at that, it's magnificent!"

"Is that for some sort of TARDIS part, then?" she asked enthusiastically.

"Could be!" he nodded. "Would you mind picking it up for me? I'd like to take a closer look only I seem to have been lumbered with carrying all the bags today." He threw her a wink and she grinned, then did as he'd requested and held it up for him, turning it this way and that so he could examine it.

The stallholder caught sight of the Doctor admiring it and smiled winningly, putting on his 'you should really buy this!' face. "Hello there, Sir. That's a terrific find, that uitel magnitiser. 880Mshsos a dallife, that. 7433 edition, too!"

Rose smirked as the Doctor's eyes lit up. Obviously all that tech talk meant the product was good. "Do you want it?" she asked him quietly.

"Oh yes," he murmured back. "Let's haggle!" He raised his voice to speak to the alien merchant, "How much for it, then?"

"Oooh, for you and this pretty lady? I'd say...seventeen crestulaups."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Bit steep, that. What about twelve crestulaups, would you take that?" He nudged Rose with his elbow, and she started to count out the strange alien currency from the purse-full he'd given her on the start of their excursion that morning.

"Never!" the man replied. "Remember, this is a 7433 edition, Sir. I'll take no less that sixteen crestulaups."

The Time Lord wrinkled his nose. "How about thirteen?"

"Nope. Fifteen."

"Fourteen?"

"Fourteen and a half."

"Fourteen and a third?"

The merchant paused, thinking it through. He eyed Rose for a moment, then replied, "Fourteen and a third, and a kiss from the pretty lady."

Rose arched an eyebrow and looked at the Doctor, expecting him to laugh.

But the Doctor was scowling. "No, no. That's...she's...that's not part of the bargaining."

"Fourteen, one third, and a kiss; and that uitel magnetiser is yours. But if you don't want it that much..." the merchant shrugged with a rueful expression.

"I'll give you a peck on the cheek, how's that?" offered Rose, eager for the Doctor to obtain the thing, whatever it was; he'd looked so excited about it.

"No, absolutely not," said the Doctor, at the exact same time the other man cheerily said, "Yes of course!"

Rose leaned forward and kissed the alien's cheek, then handed him the right amount of crestulaups. The alien merchant grinned and murmured his thanks, giving her the TARDIS part. The Doctor frowned deeply.

Rose was beaming as she tucked the object into one of the bags he was holding. "There you go."

"You do realise that now you've done that, they'll all want a kiss," said the Doctor huffily, nodding his head towards the other stallholders who had glanced in their direction.

She giggled and her eyes twinkled playfully up at him. "Oooh, that's good," she teased.

His eyes narrowed at her and if he'd not been carrying all the bags he'd have tickled her for her cheek. Or maybe casually wrapped an arm around her waist to subtly tell them all that she was off limits.

"See you later," she smiled at the merchant man, who winked at her and replied, "Oh, I hope so."

The Doctor harrumphed and walked to the next stall. When Rose stepped up next to him, he muttered, "Finished flirting now, have you?" then pretended not be interested in her answer, turning his head to peer at something which looked suspiciously like a snowglobe.

"I wasn't flirting," she laughed. "I just wanted you to get that thing. Couldn't be bothered listening to you two haggling all day. What's this? Looks like a snowglobe. Shall we get one to go on top of the mantelpiece in the library?"

He smiled down at her, forgetting to be miffed at the casual way she'd kissed that stranger's cheek, and said, "Do you think it'll look nice there, then?"

"Yeah, definitely. Matches that little trinket we got on Wda, don't you think? Both bits can sit on either side of the photo frame."

"Sometimes, Rose Tyler, I wonder how I ever managed to do this home decorating thing without you. Then I remember I've never needed to, because I don't live in a cottage on the Isle of Wight, but a TARDIS, which does everything for me."

"Ah yes, but she doesn't provide you with little bits of memorabilia now, does she? That we have to get for ourselves, on our adventures through time and space," she grinned. She turned her smile onto the female Cahgoen who was manning the stall. "Hello! How much for this?"

"Oh, about eight crestulaups for that, honey," smiled the woman flirtatiously.

The Doctor huffed under his breath. He couldn't take Rose anywhere without everyone staring at her inappropriately.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when he realised that she was now flirting with the woman. Right in front of him. Bloody hell. "Er, excuse me," he coughed purposefully. Both Rose and the other woman turned to him with innocent expressions on their faces.

"What's up?"

"I..." He frowned, not knowing quite what to say. "Are you going to buy that, then?"

"How much did you say again?" Rose asked the stallholder.

"Five crestulaups," she winked.

The Doctor had to correct her. "You said eight before, actually." The woman didn't appear to hear him.

"Okay then, here you go." Rose bought the snowglobe thingy and waved goodbye to the woman as they moved along to the next stall.

"Must you flirt with everyone today?" he asked. By everyone he actually meant everyone but him. "Feels like I'm invisible."

Rose wasn't looking at him when she answered. "I know. Annoying, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I mean, usually people at least acknowledge I'm standing there. And, you know, usually they check you're single before they start kissing you."

She rolled her eyes, muttering something about him exaggerating. Then she said, "Why does it matter, anyway? I am single." She still wasn't meeting his eye.

The Doctor arranged his expression into one of neutrality, pretending her words weren't putting a strange little pressure inside his chest. "Yes, well," he murmured. "It's the principle of the thing. It'd be nice for them to check, first. Normally we're mistaken for a - "

"Couple?" Rose finished. She hid her smile. "Yeah, normally we are." She glanced down at her empty hands and then at the Doctor's which were carrying the bags. "Maybe it's 'cos we're not holding hands like we usually are."

His eyes widened in realisation. "Oh yeah! Maybe that is why! Huh." He smiled crookedly. "Oh, well that's alright then. Easily rectified. Take these," he said, handing her half the bags.

"I thought that this morning you said you wanted to be chivalrous today and hold them for me?"

"No, you said that I couldn't be chivalrous, and I said I'd prove to you that I can. Which I have done, mostly. But that doesn't matter now, come on," he waved the bags at her. "You hold half of them."

She laughed and took them from him, leaving one of his hands free for about a nanosecond before he seized her free hand with it. She blinked at him in amused surprise.

"There, that's better," he murmured to himself.

She couldn't help but burst into giggles.

"What?" he protested indignantly.

She lifted their now joined hands up between them as they walked, squeezing his hand lightly. "So let me get this straight. You want people to assume we're a couple."

"Well," he drawled, and she got the distinct impression that he'd tug his ear uncomfortably if he could. "I...ooh look! Chips!" he announced jovially, and she glanced around them until she saw a chip shop. It was tempting, but...

That Very Bad Distraction Tactic was not going to work this time. "Doctor." she prompted.

He heaved a sigh and made them both come to a stop in the midst of busy shoppers. Meeting her gaze, he said — so quietly that she wouldn't have known what he was saying if she wasn't looking at his lips — "Sometimes it's...nice."

She wrinkled her nose in that way she did when she was confused about something daft that he'd said. "What's nice?"

He stared at her for a moment, expecting her to understand what he meant through sheer bloody telepathy or something, and Rose said again, exasperatedly, "What's nice?"

He sniffed. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you," he said, sounding resigned. "Be all human and domestic and..." he trailed off.

"Doctor, I dunno what you're going on about here, but - "

"It's nice," he interrupted. "Being part of a — a couple. Being thought of as that. Knowing that people think, when they look at us, that we're just a normal man and woman on holiday or whatever."

She squinted at him. "Are you feeling okay?"

He rolled his eyes and squeezed her hand tightly. "Yes!" he assured her. "And I'm currently baring my soul to you, so you could be a little less patronising, thanks."

"I don't get it," she replied honestly. "Are you saying you just want people to think we're a couple, or that you want to be part of a couple with - with me?"

His eyes widened. "Is that a..."

"What?"

"Is that a possibility?" he asked hurriedly, sounding a little bit excited, like he'd found another TARDIS part or something.

"Is what a possibility?"

"Rose! Are you being deliberately frustrating today?"

She laughed and shook her head. "Nope; you're just being deliberately enigmatic and elusive, just like usual."

"I'm only enigmatic because I'm aware that it secretly impresses you. And I'd say I'm steadily losing the elusive characteristic...in fact, I'd say I've been embarrassingly obvious about...well, about..."

"Doctor, will you actually just bloody well finish a sentence today? It's slowly driving me mad!"

He let out a long breath. "Right. Sorry. It's just that sometimes I start sentences feeling courageous, then lose that courage part way through, so I end up leaving the rest of what I want to say unsaid. It's a terrible habit, and I'm sorry, but..." he trailed off.

"There you go again!"

"Sorry, sorry! I can't help it. But I promise the ends of the sentences are nearly always complimentary about you." He gave her a sheepish smile, and her lips twitched for a second before she started giggling.

"Honestly, how can you be so hopeless one second, then charming the next?" she wondered. She inhaled a deep breath and with it she inhaled the tantalising smell of chips. She couldn't resist now. "Can we go get chips?"

"Yes," he laughed, sounding like he was relieved. "Yes, definitely."

She arched an eyebrow. "This conversation isn't over," she told him.

"Oh."

"It's just that I'm hungry and my arm's starting to ache from carrying all these bags." She tossed him one of her tongue-between-teeth smiles as she yanked on his hand and led him over to the chip shop he'd spotted earlier.

::

Once inside, the Doctor sat down at a booth with a table and dumped all the shopping on the seating opposite him, whilst Rose bought their drinks and chips. Therefore, when she brought them over, she had to sit right next to the Doctor.

Realistically, they could have had inches of space between them; the seat was built to comfortably fit three. But they were the Doctor and Rose, Usually But Not Today Mistaken For a Couple When They Aren't One Officially But Secretly Want To Be, thus their personal space was eagerly forgotten and they sat thigh to thigh, shoulder to shoulder, sharing two bowls of chips and swapping turns at sipping their flavoured milkshakes. Well, they weren't really milkshakes. Rose wasn't quite sure what they were, but they had a similar texture on the tongue and his one tasted of bananas, so she assumed they were this planet's equivalent. She still wasn't over the fact that nearly everywhere in the universe sold chips. It was kind of brilliant.

She glanced across the table at their stack of shopping. "So, do you reckon we've got enough for today, then?" she asked him.

"Oh yes," he nodded, popping a chip into his mouth.

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes or so, eating and drinking, Rose resting her head lightly against his shoulder. "Will you remember?" she said then, abruptly.

"Remember what?" he asked, casually wrapping his arm around her shoulders to secure her closely to his side.

She tilted her head to look at him. "In years and years and years, when you look at that snowglobe thingy, or the countless other things we've bought here and there, things that are scattered all over the TARDIS; will you remember that I was with you when you got them? Will you remember each little story they have behind them, what each special thing meant to us?"

He looked astounded that she'd even have to ask those things, and she watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed thickly. He glanced down at the chips and answered, "Don't ask such daft questions."

He sounded upset. Rose bit her lip hesitantly and tried to cheer him up by letting her fingers fight his for the last chip in his bowl. She heard him murmur, "Aha!" as he seized it from her, then brought his hand to his mouth to eat the chip. But Rose intercepted its path, and ate it from between his finger and thumb with a cheeky grin on her face. The Doctor blinked down at her in surprise, then tickled her ribs, causing her to giggle loudly before trying to muffle her laughter into his shoulder, grabbing his hands to still them.

They were leaning so close together at the time that really, it was inevitable that his lips would accidentally brush her temple. Rose was still giggling against him when it happened, and he thought perhaps she hadn't noticed, and for some reason, this did not make him feel relieved; rather, it made him want to repeat the action so that she _would_ notice. He leant closer to do so, but she suddenly tilted her head and his lips landed on her cheek instead. She giggled again, sounding a little giddier this time, and whispered, "What was that for?"

The Doctor drew back the tiniest amount so that his mouth ended up hovering over hers as he answered. "Just...just because," he whispered.

"Okay," she exhaled roughly. Her eyes flickered down to his mouth and she bit her bottom lip shyly. "You know, I think I like your 'just because.'"

"Yeah?" he asked, his voice cracking.

"Yes," she assured him, meeting his intense gaze again.

The rest of the noises in the café, the people talking and the frying of chips and the collecting of glasses; it all seemed to them as if it were drowned out by the sound of their shaky breathing as they stared at one another. The Doctor's hands were practically trembling with anticipation as he rested them on her waist, moving closer to her on their shared seat. He forgot the time, date, and location of his own existence and simply memorised the expression on her face, the feel of her beneath his hands, and the exquisite taste of Rose, as without further hesitation he let his lips descend on hers.

She quickly looped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with equal longing, opening her mouth beneath his to snog him properly. The Doctor pulled her tighter against him, so that as much of their bodies as possible were touching in their awkward position.

They broke apart as a waitress cleared her throat sharply. The Doctor looked up, tugging on his ear, slightly embarrassed. "Um," he mumbled. Rose hid her grin behind her hand.

"I'm really sorry," the waitress said earnestly. "But I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. Some of our other customers are a bit offended by your...amorous display."

Rose snorted, trying to hold back laughter. "Yeah, we'll go," she replied, sliding out from the booth.

The Doctor looked affronted at her leaving her place pressed up against him, but was soon satisfied when Rose grabbed his hand and tugged him out after her. Well, maybe not satisfied, but certainly very happy. He coughed awkwardly and gathered up their shopping bags, before turning to the waitress. "We'll be off then," he smiled cheerfully. If he'd hand a free hand, he would have waved to the offended patrons. And he let a giggling Rose lead him out of the café.

Once outside, he let out a long breath. "Sooooo," he drawled casually. "Fancy going back to the TARDIS?"

Rose met his gaze. "What a silly question," she smiled, squeezing his hand. They shared out the load of carrier bags between them and raced each other back home.

::

They stumbled into the console room, out of breath and laughing, dropping the bags of shopping carelessly to the floor as they gravitated towards one another again. After they'd caught their breath, they went from standing close and staring at each other to diving in for a series of heated kisses, the Doctor backing up the ramp and through the room towards the corridor, his hands on her hips pulling her with him.

"You remember that artist, on the beach that day?" she murmured to him, between kisses.

"Rose, I don't particularly want to talk about someone who so obviously wanted to do more than paint a portrait of you," he retorted, tugging his tie off as he briefly pressed her against the corridor wall to bestow kisses to her neck.

She started unbuttoning his shirt for him so that he could concentrate on nibbling her throat and collar bone. "I'm only mentioning it because he said, once you'd left to get those drinks, just after I'd told him that you weren't my boyfriend, he said that he thought, that he thought..."

"Rose," the Doctor murmured impatiently against her skin. "This going somewhere?"

"Yeah, I just...your teeth and tongue are very distracting."

She felt him grin into her neck before he pulled back. Cupping her cheeks softly in his hands, he said, "Go on. Tell me whatever it is quickly, so that I can go back to distracting you as soon as possible."

She smiled gratefully. "Thanks. I just thought you should know that he said that he'd been watching us for a while - "

The Doctor snorted. "Watching you, more like," he muttered.

" — no," she corrected. "Us. He said that he'd seen you rub sun tan lotion into my skin, and, nearly naked as I was, he thought the gesture too intimate to be just between friends, hence his assumption that we were together."

He trailed his hands down her back. "I think that sums us up," he remarked.

"What's that?"

"Too intimate to just be friends," he smiled. His hands continued their path downwards until they gripped her bottom and firmly tugged her against him. "That's why we're giving up on all that nonsense now," he informed her wisely.

Rose grinned and slipped her hands into his hair. "I think, one day, we should go back to that B&B. You remember, the one with the - "

"Mirror," he nodded eagerly. "Yes. Excellent idea, Rose Tyler. I'll set the coordinates for there in the morning. For now, though..." He leant in to kiss her again.


End file.
